City Council Matters

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Scott

From Councilperson Agelasto’s FaceBook page:

City Council will meet on Monday, September 8, at 6:00 pm. The agenda can be found on the City Clerk’s website. Please be mindful that any ordinance or resolution could be continued during the docket review at City Council’s informal meeting at 4:00 pm.
The agenda currently includes 47 items, many of which are of interest to the public and have received significant media attention. These include:
Ordinance No. 2014-94 – Special Use Permit for The Camel at 1619/1621 W. Broad Street.
Ordinance No. 2014-121 – Special Use Permit for a historic property located at 1650 Overbrook Road. An application for historic tax credits is currently under review by the Department of Historic Resources as there is information that may prohibit the project from proceeding as submitted.
Ordinance No. 2014-125 – To appropriate new revenue to the city as a result of expiring rehabilitation tax abatement to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund up to $1,000,000 annually.
Ordinance No. 2014-152 – To establish the MetroCare Water Assistance and Conservation Program to provide financial assistance to certain qualified customers for plumbing repairs and the replacement of water-inefficient appliances.
Ordinance No. 2014-153 – Special Use Permit for the Leigh Street Armory (122 W. Leigh Street) to be used as a museum for the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.
Ordinance No. 2014-155 – To received funds in the amount of $417,418 from VDOT to pay for the construction of the Floyd Avenue Bike Boulevard. This is the primary vote that City Council will take to approve or deny this project.
Resolution No. 2014-R157 – To assess exist policies and budget resources to support anti-litter initiatives and to establish a campaign to be called “Keep RVA Beautiful” that could be supported regionally.
Resolution No. 2014-R158 – To develop a Rental Inspection Program and submit proposals to City Council for further consideration. [This resolution simply seeks more information on specifics for a program that could be implemented in Richmond. Details such as budget implications, possible footprint of districts, rollout of communication to property owners are all necessary. We are looking at making the development of the proposal an inclusive process. We are not seeking to rush this. We are waiting for Code Enforcement staff to inform City Council of a reasonable timeline for developing the program details and guidelines and will amend the resolution as necessary. This will likely result in a continuation of the resolution until the October meeting of City Council.]
Resolution No. 2014-R161 – To approve a budget for the Economic Development Authority. [Not sure what the funds will be used for as there has been no presentation to City Council on this request. I will ask that it be sent to Committee for further review.]
Ordinance No. 2014-71 and No. 2014-78 – Special Use Permit for 2801 E. Main Street (aka Pear Street). The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported this morning that Councilwoman Cynthia Newbille does not support the current proposal. This may or may not be voted on by City Council.
Ordinance No. 2014-148 – To reinstate the Career Development program for Fire and Police and to amend the budget to equal the number of pay periods each department will receive.

Also, notice was recently sent out about City Council’s planned retreat. From press release:

On Monday, September 29, 2014, Richmond City Council will hold its annual planning meeting/retreat, beginning at 8:00 a.m. at the Virginia War Memorial, 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, Virginia. The morning session will include a bus tour of Richmond Voter Districts.

While many citizens will remain focused on the hot button issues (the Camel’s SUP, Pear St., Shockoe stadium proposal), there are other ones worth following also…

In regard to Ordinance No. 2014-152, Better Government Richmond has some questions (Ed.’s disclosure: I serve on BGR’s board and have helped lead earlier utility reform efforts).

Councilperson Agelasto: Support The EPA Plan

Posted on August 24, 2014 by Scott

5th District Councilperson Parker Agelasto has a guest column in today’s Times Dispatch newspaper that calls for citizens to support state and federal plans to reduce carbon pollution and produce more clean, renewable energy.

He concludes the column with this statement:

Moving from polluting fossil fuel energy to clean, renewable power will be a four-way win for Virginia: (1) more clean energy jobs, (2) lower electricity bills, (3) better public health and (4) combating climate change. For all these reasons, I strongly encourage our governor to speak out in support of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, and to implement it as aggressively as possible.

Iconically Wrong

Posted on July 12, 2014 by Scott

On the City Council agenda for July 14th is a proposed 16 story tower on Pear Street proposed by felon Louis Salomonsky and his business partners. The city’s Master Plan, developed with thousands of volunteer hours, insists that the city’s views be protected, and certainly a 16 story tower would block the view of the river from Church Hill.

The Historic Richmond Foundation sent a disturbing letter suggesting that an “iconic” building is needed at that location.

Well, here is the type of “iconic” building at 709 W. Cary that Salomonsky and his business partners threw up in the Oregon Hill Historic District.

Train Derailment Explosion Risk

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Scott

In the wake of the Lynchburg explosion, more people are looking at maps.

http://portlandtribune.com/sl/226325-88900-map-pinpoints-route-of-oil-trains-through-region

A couple of comments-
While I am concerned about train derailments, I am not freaking out because of this map. And in the event of a spill or explosion, I would hope the slope of Oregon Hill would protect the neighborhood from the worst of it. As it is, I am much more immediately concerned about resulting river pollution. This may or may not be scaremongering, but it is a subject worth more attention. I understand the James River Association will be sharing more information soon.

Is Venture Richmond Above The Law?

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Scott

Do the City’s rules and regulations do not apply equally to everyone? If the Mayor happens to be the president of your organization, as is the case with Venture Richmond, do the City’s regulations apply equally?

As of Monday, July 7th, why is there no permit on the city’s web site shown for Venture Richmond’s ongoing amphitheater work on the City-owned property leased by Venture Richmond (the area above the canal)? While it appears that no permit was requested or issued for the City parcel, a City employee indicated that the City parcel work was included in the permit that was issued. But is this correct procedure?

In October 2012, the century-old Tredegar wall was illegally demolished on this same City property leased by Venture Richmond. Last week, silt fencing to stop erosion was not installed on the Venture Richmond property until after the public complained. As a result, dirt and debris was pushed into the wetlands.

Venture Richmond repeatedly promised a thorough Section 106 historic review of the impact that the amphitheater would have on the historic James River and Kanawha Canal, but the day after receiving final City Planning Commission approval, Venture Richmond broke this promise and withdrew from the Section 106 review.

Let’s hope that the public remembers Venture Richmond’s broken promises when the Shockoe stadium again rears its ugly head!

Letter To Neko Case

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Scott

I sent this earlier this month to Neko Case’s management in an attempt to contact the rock star:

Dear Neko Case,

First of all, let me say that I have enjoyed your music for a while now. While many fans may have first heard of you through the New Pornographers, I first heard you from your work with with one of my all time favorites, John Doe. I was lucky enough to have been tipped off last minute about a show you did years ago with the Sadies down at a Shockoe Bottom club in Richmond, Virginia, called Alley Katz (an old alley warehouse turned beer hall with a small stage.) The energy, your voice…I am not exaggerating when I say it is one of the best shows I have ever seen.

I also had the pleasure of seeing you more recently at Richmond’s National Theater, an excellent show though the venue was not nearly as personable. So, I’m excited to hear that you’re scheduled to make another appearance in Richmond at the end of June. I’m looking forward to it and hope you are too. I’ve purchased your new album “The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You (Deluxe Edition), locally, at Plan 9 Records and have enjoyed it very much. I’ve found the personal stories on it touching.

The reason I am writing to you now and making this an open letter is to let you and others know about a local controversy related to the venue for your upcoming Richmond show (June 27). Don’t worry, I am NOT asking you or anyone else to boycott it, but I’m hoping that you’ll choose to treat this matter with due sensitivity and understanding. There’s a lot to it, so please take a moment to gather your concentration before reading further…

I live in a very special place, a small, “historic white working-class neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia” called Oregon Hill. There are many reasons why it’s special, including that it has survived the Civil War, tornados, highway construction, suburban flight, corporate hegemony, university expansion, and other threats. It’s also known as place that many local musicians have called home, including The Rock-A-Teens, GWAR, The Cowboy Junkies, David Lowery (Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker), Tim Berry (AVAIL), the No BS! Brass Band, and countless others. There have also been many songs written about it, including The Cowboy Junkies’ “Oregon Hill”.

Perhaps because of this affinity for musicians, Oregon Hill was delighted when the National Folk Festival set up tent for a few years in a closely adjacent riverfront location. After the National Folk Festival travelled on to other cities, a private local nonprofit group called Venture Richmond went on to hold “The Richmond Folk Festival” in that location. I’ll note here that I personally attended and volunteered for both the National and Richmond Folk Festivals. I even won the Volunteer of the Year Award in 2010. So, you can imagine my happiness at having some of the best musicians in the world playing within walking distance of my home.

It’s a special kind of hell when something you love is used to threaten your community, but that has sadly become the case with The Richmond Folk Festival. Oregon Hill residents did experience some noise/trash/crowd issues over the years due to a few especially rowdy, loud acts in close proximity to our relatively quiet, residential neighborhood, but we’ve largely tolerated this, because we understand and want people to enjoy the music and riverfront. The Folk Festival is only one weekend a year and more of ‘a family event’.

However, Venture Richmond has now proposed building a new, 10,000 person amphitheater at that location. It’s called Tredegar Green and is a fragile, historic site directly adjacent to Oregon Hill and the Virginia War Memorial. Venture Richmond wants to be able to rent out their proposed amphitheater year round. The Richmond Folk Festival and other concerts have been at initially held at another river-adjacent location called Brown’s Island (where I believe you’ll be playing later this month) which is more appropriate in its proximity to residential/natural areas.

The Tredegar Green location is what our neighborhood Association (as well as numerous historic preservationists nationwide) want to preserve. The reason is that through that location runs a segment and boat basin of the The James River and Kanawha Canal. This waterway was built in 1785 to facilitate river travel upriver beyond Richmond’s rocky fall line, effectively creating a travel and trade route prior to the inception of the railroads. The canal was built with slave labor and the company that built it and managed it was founded and presided over by no one less than George Washington.

Even before Venture Richmond’s proposal was fully announced, a historic stone wall built adjacent to the canal by Washington’s company was illegally demolished while the site was under Venture Richmond’s stewardship. I’ve worked for over the last few years with our Oregon Hill Neighborhood Association to carefully document and present the history of the Kanawha Canal, focusing on the portion threatened by Venture Richmond’s proposed amphitheater. Despite our continued attempts to broker compromise (keeping the proposed amphitheater on Brown’s Island, for example) and mitigate damage, Venture Richmond (which is really a very powerful mix of local corporate and political leaders, including our own Mayor) continues to bulldoze ahead, ignoring neighborhood and historical preservationists’ concerns.

In short, Venture Richmond’s plans are threatening not only our quality of life, but the very historic and structural integrity of our city. They’ve deceptively told the media and general public that if we force them to adjust their plans, the Folk Festival will have to be cancelled. Personally, I think this has more to do with future development plans for the location and very little to do with amphitheaters, Folk Festivals, music, or public interest.

They see the historic Canal and Oregon Hill as public impediments that must be diminished to attain their private plans. Sadly, this group and their supporters pretty much own the mainstream media in this town and those they don’t own are afraid to speak out against them. I’ve been writing about this for a while now, if you want, you can read more on my website, www.oregonhill.net.

I appreciate your time and don’t necessarily expect you to step in on this mess. You have a contract to perform and I do want the best for ‘RVA’. I will pray for good weather, but I want you to know about this controversy, so when Venture Richmond’s representatives start talking to you about what they’re doing for ‘downtown living’ and their future plans, you understand that there’s more to the story and that there’s a lot more at stake.

Hold me to the line.

Sincerely,

Scott Burger

(Ed. note: Alley Katz is now gone and a new, different venue is opening there).

Riverfront Railroad History

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Scott

Andrew McRoberts has written an interesting article in Richmond.com on the “Reasons Richmond Should Love the CSX Railroad Viaduct”.

Excerpts:

The C&O (now CSX) Viaduct is enormously long (about three miles in length). It starts beneath the Robert E. Lee Bridge near Oregon Hill Overlook, and stretches all the way to Nicholson Street and the former Fulton Yard (across Route 5 from Rockett’s Landing in far eastern city of Richmond). It allows a nearly at-grade (level) train crossing of downtown Richmond along the James River and the Great Shiplock for much of its length.

…

In 2014, the viaduct is celebrating 113 years in its existence. And, as you know if you ever visit the riverfront downtown, the viaduct is still in active use by CSX Corporation

Like much of Phil Riggan’s articles in Richmond.com on the James River, this deserves reading.

I can’t help but wonder if this is a bit of public relations on CSX’s part, given recent concerns stemming from the Lynchburg explosion.

But, getting back to the history…The C&O Railroad Viaduct is a treasure, and Richmond residents should be aware of other important railroad history that is now threatened within sight of the Viaduct. A remnant of the Tredegar Branch railroad connecting the iron works on Belle Isle with Tredegar is slated to be destroyed by Venture Richmond for yet another amphitheater. These tracks sit on the towpath of the historic James River and Kanawha Canal. Venture Richmond’s plan is to lower the towpath below the historical level of water in the canal and in the process of irreparably damaging the canal, the old railroad line will also be scrapped. Alternatives, such as putting Venture Richmond’s largest stage on Brown’s Island, already leased to Venture Richmond, were ignored. It is unbelieveable that Venture Richmond is destroying the Tredegar Branch railroad remnant that is within the Tredegar Historic Site.

Sierra Club Asks For Monroe Park Pledge

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Scott

The Sierra Club Falls of the James Executive Committee sent this public request today (Disclosure: I am a member of the SCFOJ Executive Committee and actually wrote the following):

The Sierra Club Falls of the James Executive Committee, recognizing VCU’s representation on the Monroe Park Conservancy board, respectfully asks for a public pledge to keep, at the very least, the same amount of mature trees and natural shade canopy as what is currently in Monroe Park. Given some past Monroe Park proposals, we believe this public pledge is necessary. We also request a careful inventory of the current mature trees, and ask to be notified before any are removed. While it is understandable that dead and dying trees may need removal and replacement, it is vital that Richmond retain valuable urban green resources. City trees, and groups of trees, are extremely important to offsetting downtown’s heat island effect, creating a habitat for birds, supplying a calming presence on human beings, and offsetting climate change caused by global warming.

We also note that Monroe Park has been a historic place of public gathering and political protest, and we request that the Monroe Park Conservancy continue to allow these important civic activities. The ACLU of Virginia recently sent a letter that raises questions on these points in regard to the City’s Monroe Park lease.

Lastly, it is also worth noting City Councilperson Parker Agelasto’s resolution, adopted by City Council, to work with the Conservancy to expand the board, and consider requesting an increase in the membership of the board to include a.) the Director of the city Parks Dept.; b.) a representative from the city’s Urban Forestry Division; c.) a representative of the Falls of the James Sierra Club; d.) representatives of the neighborhoods near the park that rely on the park as a fundamental community resource.

Letters To City Council On Shockoe Stadium Controversy

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Scott

There is interest all over the City on what happens with the Shockoe stadium proposal. It is piquing as more information leaks.

Recent letter from an Oregon Hill neighbor (Editor’s note: I did take the liberty of adding a few links):

Dear Members of the Richmond City Council,

I wrote to you last January (below) regarding the Mayor’s unseemly association with convicted felon Louis Salomonsky in the effort to acquire land to build the Shockoe stadium debacle. As indicated in the attached “Statement of Facts,” Salomonsky was convicted of bribing a City Councilperson and of attempting to defraud the City of Richmond of a rehab tax abatement.

It now comes to light in an article by Paul Goldman that SWA Architects, closely linked to Salomonsky, would also get a “sweetheart no-bid deal for architectural and engineering service” for the Shockoe stadium farce. (Please see link: http://wtvr.com/2014/05/19/goldman-shockoe-documents-reveal-mayor-councils-secret-partner/ )

Keep in mind that the secretary of Venture Richmond, which has spent tens of thousands of dollars lobbying for the Mayor’s flawed Shockoe stadium plan, is a close business partner of Louis Salomonsky. Why is convicted felon Salomonsky allowed to drive policy for his benefit at Venture Richmond and City Hall to the detriment of the citizens of Richmond?

Salomonsky also has before City Council on May 27th a proposal to build a 13 story tower, dubbed James at River bend, that is not in keeping with the city’s master plan. Salomonsky is also pushing to loosen rules on the city’s tax abatement program, in spite of the fact that he was sentenced to federal prison in part for trying to defraud the city of a tax abatement.

The public was promised that all aspects of the Shockoe stadium proposal would be available in March, that the proposal would be withdrawn if land acquisition costs exceeded the $4,4 million figure, and that a complete Section 106 historic review would be undertaken of the Shockoe Valley site. All of these promises have been broken.

As City Council members, it is your responsibility to avoid any impropriety or appearance of impropriety and to uphold the fiduciary responsibilities of your office. Please do not take ownership of the Mayor’s misbegotten Shockoe Stadium proposal that is mired in a corrupt and secretive process, benefiting cronies with secret no-bid deals and land swaps. The Mayor has chosen to closely associate and partner with a convicted felon who brought shame to our city. It is now time for City Council to stand tall and not endorse this toxic process.

Sincerely,
Charles Pool

And there’s also these recent letters from Better Government Richmond (Editor’s note: Disclosure: I am a board member of BG-R):

Dear Members of Council,

The Mayor’s Shockoe development proposal will require Planning Commission approval. The Commission cannot approve the proposal if it is not in substantial accord with the city’s Master Plan. City Council is bound by the Planning Commission’s decision unless the Council votes to overrule the Commission. City Council cannot arbitrarily overrule the commission.

According to the Master Plan the baseball stadium belongs on North Boulevard.

The Master Plan also states that it is important to preserve and enhance the historic character of Shockoe Bottom. The Plan calls for buildings three to five stories tall. The Plan also calls for returning 17th street to two-way traffic. The Mayor proposes a stadium and high-rise buildings in Shockoe Bottom. The Mayor proposes closing part of 17th Street.

The Downtown portion of the Master Plan is a people’s plan. A professional planning team held a series of very large public meetings. Attendance at one of these meetings exceeded 450 people. The Planning Commission held informational meetings, a seminar and four public hearings. A total of 138 people addressed the Commission at the public hearings.

At City Council’s public hearing one developer and one individual opposed the Master Plan. Twenty people spoke in favor of the Plan. After the hearing, City Council unanimously adopted the Plan. (Conner, Graziano, Hilbert, Jewell, Robertson, Trammell, Tyler and Pantele voted aye; McQuinn was absent.)

The Planning Commission will be compelled to reject the Mayor’s proposal. City Council will have no basis to overrule the Commission. Approval of the Mayor’s proposal would be a breach of trust.

The Mayor’s proposal should be rejected as soon as possible.

Sincerely yours,

C. Wayne Taylor, Secretary
Better Government Richmond
Better Government – US LLC
www.bg-us.org

From this morning:

Dear Members of Council,

Did Mr. Byron Marshall misrepresent the facts?

On November 11th 2013 Mayor Jones stood at the Weiman’s bakery building to announce his Shockoe plan and said “I am standing on home plate.” His plan showed a stadium extending northwest across Crane Street onto city property. No other development was shown on Crane Street. The plan showed two proposed apartment buildings on other portions of the site.

On May 12th 2014 Mr. Marshall told City Council that development of the Crane Street property would trigger a federal Section 106 review because the city used federal money to purchased the property. He then said that “the current development does not anticipate using that land.” (Mr. Marshall referred to Crane Street as Ambler Street.)

On May 15th Mr. Marshall presented a more detailed development plan to City Council’s Finance committee. He said that “home plate is basically where the bakery is.” He said that the Crane Street property was shown as “city parking” and it was where “an apartment building was originally planned to be built.” He said that “if that parking lot were used for development it would trigger 106.”

On May 16th the news media reported that the stadium had been moved and that additional property was need. According to the reports, Mr. Marshall said the original plan was just conceptual and they were considering apartments on the Crane Street.

There seem to be several problems with Mr. Marshall’s statements to City Council and the Finance committee:
1) the “current” plan on May 12th showed the stadium on the Crane Street property;
2) Mr. Marshall did not mention that the stadium had been moved;
3) Mr. Marshall did not mention that additional property was needed;
4) home plate moved across the alley from Weiman’s bakery;
5) the plan never showed apartments on Crane Street; and
6) the plan still seems to show the stadium on Crane Street property.

Sincerely yours,

C. Wayne Taylor, Secretary
Better Government Richmond
Better Government – US LLC
www.bg-us.org